End of Voting Week & Second Preliminary Count Tomorrow
End of Voting Week
The evening was on the later side, but I am pleased to report that Voting Week, along with our First Preliminary Count, have concluded.
Of course, we know that this process is not yet final and will not be until the conclusion of the Final Count on Saturday, November 9, but we have taken significant steps forward. I hope you’ll offer our sincere thanks to your candidates, their representatives and all your volunteers for their work to date. Not everyone can leave an election happy with the outcome, but I hope they know that their work and dedication is appreciated and has contributed significantly to our province’s democratic way of life.
Second Preliminary Count
As mentioned yesterday, I am attaching form E-417C Appointment of Candidate’s Representatives for the Second Preliminary Count. On page 2 of the form, you will see a listing of constituencies ranked 1 to 16. These are the constituencies which we have determined could be most impacted by the vote by mail ballots that will be counted at this event.
Please complete the attached form and return it to my assistant Bobbee Tarksis, by email, at oceo.admin@elections.sk.ca. I will need to it returned by 4:30 p.m. today so that my team can complete all of the necessary administrative work on our end before tomorrow morning.
Second Preliminary Count – Embargo Agreement for RPPs
In 2020, for the Final Count, I instituted an informal embargo agreement for the Chief Official Agents of the province’s political parties. The purpose of the embargo was simply to have all parties involved in the counting of ballots to agree not to release results until they have been confirmed and released by my office.
For the Second Preliminary Count, this will happen on our results website. We will process these updates as quickly as we can, however, it is integral to the public’s confidence in our system that we make these results public only after we are certain they are correct.
If you have concerns with signing this agreement, please reach out to me directly. I would be happy to talk it through with you.
HRT Redistribution
I have already told you that redistribution of hospital and remand ballots will take place on Saturday, November 2 at our head office in Regina. This process will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and parties and candidates can send observers. Our building is locked over the weekend, so if you plan to attend, please contact Bobbee Tarksis at oceo.admin@elections.sk.ca before Friday at 12 noon and let her know. We will ensure that you are able to watch this process. As a reminder, these ballots are not counted until the Final Count next weekend, this is only a sorting process.
Clarifications
An event the size of a general election invariably has some minor issues and “bumps along the road.” Not only did we have thousands of election officials hand counting ballots and relaying them over the phone last evening, we also had 61 election workers in 61 offices doing data entry. Clerical errors are inevitable, which is why Saskatchewan’s election legislation guides us through a process involving First Preliminary, Second Preliminary, and Final Counts.
When we discover errors, we determine a path within legislation to correct it. We are also transparent about these changes. Some you may have noticed, while others may already have passed by without you being aware.
Consistent with legislation, our team will confirm and make further changes as needed when we conduct the Final count next weekend. This is normal and is, in fact, the entire purpose of the Final Count.
I want to thank you in advance for your cooperation and look forward to seeing any of you that plan to attend the Second Preliminary Count tomorrow.
Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan